08:16
rwandaexpress
The rollout of a new anti- Diarrhea (rotavirus vaccine) was on May 25 launched in Musanze District, in the Northern Province of Rwanda.
This is the first time the vaccine is being administered in Rwanda and it’s expected to significantly reduce the mortality rate of children who die as a result of diarrhea.
Over 400,000 doses of the vaccine worth approximately $7million, and are expected to be distributed to prevent diarrhea countrywide to benefit over 100,000 children, preferably below the age of one year.
Diarrhea is the third leading cause of mortality after pneumonia and neonatal infections, according to the 2008 data review of health management information system (HMIS), accounting for 19 percent of all deaths of children under the age of five.
Dr. Uzziel Ndagijimana, the Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Health, said that the vaccine was introduce under the routine immunization programme, and compared to other vaccines administered previously, it is expected to create a significant impact on the campaign of children’s lives.
The head of vaccination preventable diseases department in the Ministry of Health, Maurice Gatera, said the vaccine is likely to lower the mortality rate of children under five by 80 per cent.
Apparently, the Ministry of Health also, in this same month launched the second phase of the vaccination against the Human Papilloma Virus (HPV), a virus that causes cervical cancer.
Rwanda has embarked on vaccination programs on March 29, 2012, UNICEF delivered 111 vaccine storage refrigerators to Rwanda’s Minister of Health to ensure that the country was set for the introduction of the rotavirus vaccine.
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